Requiescat In Pace
by little-boo
Summary: Integra is told that their is something wrong with Seras. So she goes, determined, to find out what it is. One shot.


**Title: **Requiescat In Pace  
**Author**: tenchisaz  
**Fandom**: Hellsing

**Summary**: Integra gets told that their is something wrong with Seras. So goes, determined, to find out what it is.  
**Pairing**: Slight IxS. I suppose. Kinda  
**Spoilers**: None  
**Rating**: PG 13  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own Hellsing or any of the characters.

**Note**: A big thank you to Nike for editing this. You rock. Plus thank you to sirhellsing for beta-ing this and making sure the characters were all in character.

**Requiescat In Pace**

My mind wanders back to the pile of paperwork on my desk I had been working on when Walters's familiar knock on my door interrupted me. I had been ploughing through the mountain of work for hours and knew that it was going to be a long night. And it seems that I was once again being proven right … Walters's soft voice interrupts my thoughts as we head down the corridor in the basement.

"I'm sorry, Sir Integra, for interrupting you, but I thought that you should be informed. I'm not quite sure what to do and since Alucard is away on a mission….." His voice trails off as I raise my hand to silence him.

"No, Walter you did the right thing. How long has Officer Victoria been locked in there?" I demand, my voice coming off a little more irritated than I had wanted.

"About three hours - since she came back from her mission earlier. She has been playing the same song in there the whole time, apparently." As he explains, I can hear the concern edging his calm tone. This isn't like the policegirl. We both know that. I narrow my eyes and straighten my shoulders as our footsteps echo down the corridor. We have nearly arrived at out destination and already I see a couple of soldiers outside the door with one of the servants. I can hear soft music drifting towards me Walter's footsteps ghosting my own as he walks steadily behind me. Noticing our approach, the soldiers quickly stand to attention, as does the male servant standing with them. As we finally reach them, the noise coming from the door now in front of us is a lot louder. Clasping my hands behind my back, I regard the plain wooden door for a moment before turning my attention to the solider nearest to me.

"What's happening?" I demand, knowing my cool voice sounds annoyed, making the solider in front of me slightly nervous, though the only thing that clearly shows it is the way he clears his throat slowly before answering me.

"Special Officer Victoria is still in there, Sir. She has still made no move to open the door or indeed even answer us." His dark eyes looking over my shoulder into the distance as he reports. Nodding, I look at the door again.

"Was she injured on her mission? What are her known movements since she returned?" I question. The smooth voice behind my right shoulder answers immediately.

"She had a few scratches, as I understand. Nothing serious. From what I can gather, she was pretty quiet before her mission and when she returned to the mansion she said that she was going to have an early night. Apparently she was covered in blood from a fight with a FREAK earlier, and so mentioned that she was going to clean up first. I took the liberty of running her a bath, and the servant here saw her go in. She hasn't come out since."

I nod and turn to the servant standing there quietly. Recognising him, I call him by name to step forward.

"Richard, how did she seem when she went in?" The song behind the door ends, and there is stillness for a moment. We all turn to look at the door and the shoulders of the three men in front of me sag as it starts up again. Wondering at their reaction, I raise an eyebrow.

"It's been like this for a while, Sir. We hear the end of the song and then silence, wondering if this time she'll come out. Or even change the song, but it just starts again." Walter informs me. Richard looks back at me and quickly answers my earlier question, letting me know that she had seemed 'tired' but that nothing seemed obviously wrong with the blond vampire.

I was right, I conclude as I pinch the bridge of my nose. It is going to be a long night. The song is starting to grate on my nerves already, and I've only heard it play through twice.

"Where did she get the music from?" I ask, standing straight. Walter moves to my side and quietly reminds me that I let her have a stereo a while ago, along with a television, since Walter had brought to my attention that she had been quietly going out of her mind with boredom, sitting in her room in silence with nothing to do. There were only so many times you could read a magazine before you started going crazy, Seras had informed Walter jokingly one night, as everyone had been enjoying a few quiet nights recently. I had presented her with the T.V and radio-hi-fi along with the words that I had better give her something to relieve her ennui, as I 'didn't deem it in the best interests of the Hellsing organisation for the two vampires under our employ to be both insane.' Those actions were coming back to haunt me, as I wish fervently that I had given her a something else instead. Something that wasn't so … loud.

"Your orders, Sir Integra?" asks Walter by my side. I stand there for a second, as I process the different things that could have happened. The girl could be injured and no-one noticed earlier, or she could have simply have fallen asleep in the bathroom. I grit my teeth together as I consider the possibilities.

"Walter, have you tried to unlock the door?"

"No Sir Integra, I was only informed of the situation not-so-long ago myself. I didn't think it appropriate that I go in if the Miss Victoria is indeed bathing."

"Why did it take so long?" I ask, my voice cold and very irritated at the thought that one of my soldiers has been in that room, alone, for over three hours now and it was just now coming to my attention. She could be dead. Or as close as she can be to the word.

"I don't know, Sir," answers Walter calmly as he suddenly moves from my side to kneel down by the door and peer into the lock. "The key is not in the lock, Sir. We can unlock it from this side with my set of keys." He looks up at me expectantly and proceeds as he sees my nod.

"Very well, Walter."

Walter stands up and pulls out what seems to me like keys to unlock every door imaginable, and after a few moments he picks one out by just glancing at them all. As he begins to unlock the door I'm somewhat comforted by the fact that, if she was indeed injured badly, Alucard would have been here. Or would at least have reported it earlier.

_No, it must be something else. But what? _

Those thoughts are pushed aside as the click of the door is heard over the music. What ever it is, I'm about to find out. I watch as Walter steps back and lets me walk forward to stand in front of the door. Placing a hand on the door handle, I look up at the ceiling and call out. My only reply is the music.

_Ready or not._

The door opens smoothly in my hand and I walk into the room, my feet moving from the stone outside to the smooth tiles of the bathroom. My eyes quickly scan the room and what I see makes me catch my breath.

There, sitting in a white bath behind the door, is Seras Victoria. She's sitting there like a statue, hugging her knees to her body, her chin resting on her kneecap. As I stand there, over her body, I study the seemingly frail, pale form. She's completely still, the only thing letting me know that she is indeed 'alive' is the occasional blink.

"Walter, stay here."

"Sir?"

"Don't come in and don't let the others either. I'm going to close the door."

"Sir."

Closing the door behind me, I turn around and watch the vampire in the bath again. The light over the mirror plays tricks in the gloom; the blond vampire's skin seems almost to glow.

She seems like a doll in there. The water surrounding her is red, contrasting sharply with the pale skin and burnished gold hair. I kneel down beside her and watch as a rivulet of water maps a trail down her back as her hair drips. I've never seen her look so small and fragile. She is not like her master, who radiates power, but she has grown from that form swaddled in a blanket the first night I saw her. It's not been easy on her, but she has survived. But looking at those blank eyes staring at the water in front of her, it doesn't seem like the same woman. I furrow my eyebrows at my use of the word 'woman' but it does, however, seem to fit her.

"Officer Victoria?" I'm met with nothing but the music playing beside the tub. The words are in some language I can't understand; the voice echoes around the small room. I stand up and scan the room again, looking for clues as to what the problem might be. Her uniform is lying in the corner covered in blood and looking pretty worse for wear.

Nothing

I look down at her body but can't see any obvious wounds or marks.

Again, nothing.

She is just sitting there, her blank scarlet eyes matching the colour of the stone cold water that surrounds her.

What do I do? In all the time I've known her, she has never been like this. Something ticks away at the back of my mind as an image of her wrapped up in the blanket comes to my attention again.

_Time._

I recall the date on the forms I have been signing all day and a niggling thought suddenly comes to light.

_Ahhhh._

I kneel down to her side and I smile sadly at her: something I'm not really in the habit of doing. Those eyes, blinking, unseeing, as she seems lost in her own world. I watch as another drop of water makes it way down her china-doll skin, goosebumps the only telltale sign that she is indeed cold. Ivory white skin stretched delicately over bones and slight muscles.

"Anniversaries are sometimes hard, are they not?" I whisper to her as my realisation hits me. I watch her reaction as my words sink in. The only things that move are her pupils, as they turn to look at me out of the corners of her eyes.

Another blink.

Though her eyes are looking at me, there doesn't seem to anything behind them.

"Seras…" I murmur, hoping to call her back from where ever her mind has escaped to.

Another blink.

"I can hardly believe that it's already a year since we met," I murmur again.

_Come back Seras. Come back from wherever you are._

Her head moves, shifts position so that her cheek is now resting on her knee. The rest of her body stays the same as she is still hugging her knees to her chest.

For the first time since coming in, she seems to focus on me instead of through me. Taking it as a good sign, I continue to talk to her, keeping my voice low and trying to make it soothing. It's a little hard since I don't get much practice at it.

"One whole year since you came here to us. So much has happened in only a relatively short space of time." She blinks at me and I seem to be losing the ground I thought I was gaining a moment ago when her eyes glaze over. She moves her head back to where it was before and stares at the taps again. I give a heavy sigh and call to her then shout. Nothing.

"Happy deathday to me, happy deathday to me, happy deathday dear Seras, happy deathday to me," she sings softly. I look hard at her, as her face doesn't show any emotion. Her pale eyelashes drooping slightly as her eyelids go half-mast.

"Seras Victoria you will answer me do you hear!" I shout. The little 'singsong' is more than slightly disturbing, especially the way her voice held no emotion. Her eyebrows furrow and she turns her head to me. She blinks a couple of time quickly and looks at me. This time really looking at me. That in itself is a slight relief.

"Sir Integra?" she whispers slight confusion on her face. I give a tight smile and touch her hair lightly, looking in to her eyes to see if she is in fact focusing on me. Satisfied that she seems to have pulled herself together somewhat, I stand up and reach over to the towel hanging up. Holding it in my hands, I look at the small figure in the bath. She moves, resting her forehead on her knees and hugs herself tighter as she shivers. What exactly do I do next? There isn't really a proper procedure to deal with wet, cold, naked vampires who are depressed on the anniversary of their 'death'. Holding the towel in my hands, I move to stand by the bath and call to her, unfolding the towel in front of me. She stands up unsteadily and I wrap it carefully around her shivering body. Helping her out of the red water she stands in front of me, almost childlike. The towel seems to engulf her small frame like a blanket. Letting her cling at the towel around her, I grab a smaller one and start to rub her hair vigorously to dry it off a little. As I finish, I rub the sides of her arms as she shivers, wondering what my next move will be. They soldiers are still out there along with one of the servants. I doubt that the policewoman would appreciate being seen in this condition. She's worked hard to gain people's respect. I can understand that.

"Walter, everything is fine. Please send the others away," I call over the music.

"Of course, Sir Integra," comes the calm reply. As I wait a few minutes for the men to leave, Seras leans against me, her damp hair cool against my shoulder.

"They are gone, Sir Integra," reports Walter. I move my arms to push Seras back gently and look at her as she looks at the ground. Her strawberry blond hair ruffled, her face exhausted, I slip an arm around her shoulders to guide her to the side as I open the door with my free hand. Walter is standing there with that look of infinite patience on his face. As he sees the policewoman he moves forward to help. Supporting her other side he looks to me for an explanation and for my next order.

"Well move her to my room. Up the back stairs so no one sees."

I'm not sure why I'm taking her to my room as her own is just down the corridor, but looking at her slightly huddled form it doesn't feel right leaving her in a room that looks depressing on a good day.

"Yes Sir," Walter replies, determination underlining in his voice. I smile slightly, knowing that the two of them have become quite good friends. He moves ahead and listens at the stairs.

We move again, my arm still around the blond vampire, shepherding her along.

Making our way up the stairs and along the corridor we meet with no one, thanks to Walter as look-out. The policegirl is still shivering, which can only be expected since she is still only wearing a towel.

Opening the door to my room, I guide Seras over to my couch and tell Walter to light the fire in the hearth, and then to go back and turn off the music that is still playing down stairs and to bring her dinner up here. After lighting the fire, he turns to me and, with a bow, he walks to the doors, closing them silently behind him. Turning my attention to the delicate-looking woman on my couch, I walk over to the dresser and pull out some nightwear for her, and grab my comb. Moving over to her, I kneel down in front of her and look in to her eyes again. I give a little sigh of relief as I see her looking back at me. Fully focused on me. I watch as the fire casts shadows across her face.

I pull away and hold out the nightgown in my hands, which she takes hesitantly after a moment. With a little blush she drops her towel and pulls the nightgown over her head. I stand up and walk over to my decanter at the side of the room and pour out a small amount of whiskey into a tumbler. Turning around I pause a moment as I see the policegirl, Seras Victoria, stand there in my nightdress, still blushing slightly. I let a rare smile play at my lips as I walk forward and hand her the glass. Raising it to her lips, she wrinkles her nose at the strong smell and nearly chokes when the liquid hits her throat. Turning, I walk towards the decanters again and this time pour myself a drink, letting a little chuckle slip out at her coughing fit behind me.

"That's ten year old malt whiskey you're coughing up there, you know," I state calmly.

"I'm sorry." I hear a small voice behind me apologising. And I know that it is not about the whiskey.

I stay silent, my back turned to her, and move to sit in the large stuffed chair I have in front of the hearth, motioning for her to sit in front of the fire. Watching her, I can't help but let another smile form at my lips as she pads softly over in my nightgown that is too long for her slightly shorter frame. She more than fills it out with her curves. I hand over the comb, which she gratefully accepts and starts to pull through her short hair as she stares in to the fire. A comfortable silence passes over the room and, as the fire crackles, I watch her watching the flames as she brushes her hair. Trying to dry it and warm her cold body.

"Requiescat in pace," she whispers quietly, still staring at the fire. I frown at the statement and watch, puzzled, as she continues to comb her hair in an almost trace-like state."That's what the priest said at my mother and fathers' funerals," she continues. Her pale face is like a mask as the fire makes her hair burn gold.

"Rest in peace," I translate, taking a sip of the amber liquid in my glass. The almost-smoky taste burns down my throat, comforting me as I listen to the depressed woman.

"Yes. Rest in peace. I pray to God that they are. I wonder…" She pauses and lets her eyelids droop slightly.

"You wonder what?" I ask, genuinely interested in her thoughts, and the motives that drove her into the catatonic state earlier.

"I wonder if anyone said that over my grave," she whispers. She has a grave, though of course it is empty. It's there purely in case any friends or relatives go looking for it, since the official word is that Seras Victoria died along with her comrades at Cheddar Village a year ago. "I wonder if anyone has said a prayer for me, hoping I'm at peace?"

I stare at the young creature before me. She turns her crimson eyes towards me, a sad look on her face that could break a heart.

"I don't know, Officer Victoria," I answer honestly.

"I'd like to think so," she murmurs, looking at me for a moment before casting her eyes down to the rich carpet beneath her. "And though I know I have made my choice to be this way, I hope - I really hope - that someday I will be able to be at peace as well." She looks back at the fire again and sighs, an unconscious action that betrays her mood ever more clearly as she has no air in her lungs to expel. I blink at her, suddenly understanding a small part of what she is feeling at the moment.

"Take another sip," I order. She turns to me and gives a small smile.

"Yes, Sir." The tone is lighter and slightly teasing. I give her another small smile as a light knock comes from the door, announcing Walter's return. Calling him in, I watch her again as she looks up at Walter and smiles like nothing has happened. He places the bucket of ice housing a blood bag and a glass on the table beside my couch. I thank him and there follows a brief conversation between the vampire and my retainer in which she urges him not to worry and assures that she is alright. After he is seemingly satisfied that she is indeed fine, he asks if I need him to do anything else. I dismiss him, letting him know that I'm fine that he can go back to his duties.

After he closes the door, I watch as Seras regards the chilled bag on the table.

"You must be hungry, Special Officer Victoria. I suggest you go and have your dinner."

She turns to me and flushes slightly, and moves quietly to the table as I turn my attention back to the fire, taking another sip from my glass. I can hear her open the bag with a little hesitation, but soon enough I hear the clinking of glass as she picks it up behind me. I reach over to the little table beside me and pick out one of my cigars from a box, lighting it. Another silence falls over the room as I smoke my cigar, leaning back in my large chair, knowing that I have a veritable mountain of paperwork waiting for me at my desk. Taking another draw from my cigar, I let it slowly through my nose, watching the smoke disappear. I look out of the corner of my eye and notice that I'm not the only one watching the smoke. The policewoman is standing there, gazing at me with scarlet eyes as I blow the last smoke out of my mouth. She blushes when she sees that I've noticed her, and walks over slowly to sit beside me. She pulls her knees up and hugs them, adopting a similar position to earlier, only this time she's not in a bath. And not naked. We both watch the fire in front of us flicker and crackle in another comfortable silence.

The time seemed to slide by unnoticed as we sit together, but after a while I finish my cigar and sip some more of my whiskey. I glance down and see the policegirl's eyes slowly getting heavier and let a smile dance over my lips. Hearing my soft snort of laughter she looks up at me, and smiles sleepily. I reach out with my free hand and touch her blond hair, the action making her eyes close a little more until she peers at me through slits. I chuckle, and –satisfying myself that it is dry - I give her hair a stroke, unresisting when she moves and lays her head in my lap. She gives another sigh as she get comfortable, resting her head on my knees as she curls up the rest of her body beside my legs. Luckily the chair I'm in isn't high, so I watch as she quickly makes herself snug. Soon enough she is dozing there, with her head in my lap. I look down at the blond hair and think about the pile of work I still have to do.

I do the only possible thing I can do in the situation. Sighing, I take one last sip of my whiskey and set it down. Resting my other hand on the drowsy head, I, Integral Wingates Hellsing, vaguely uncertain, start to stroke the delicate vampire's strawberry blond hair. After a few minutes, I feel her relax and drift off to sleep.

"Requiescat in pace, Seras Victoria," I whisper.

----

I hope you liked it. By the way the song Seras was listening to in the bath was Svefn-G-Englar by Sigur Rós.


End file.
